Biographical information was extracted from Durant & Peirce's 1878 History of Jefferson County, New York by Marilyn Sapienza! Sketches were supplemented with information gleaned from census records, cemetery records, and family histories.
EBENEZER WILLIAMS:
The Williams family was of Welsh descent, the great grandfather, Jonathan W. Williams, emigrated from Wales very early. Ebenezer Williams, youngest son of Ebenezer Williams, who father was Peter O. Williams, was born at Manlius, Onondaga Co., NY on 5 May 1823. In 1831, Ebenezer Williams Sr., settled on his farm in the town of Pamelia. He married Harriet M. Lawton, daughter of Fabius and Catherine Lawton. They had four children:
Ebenezer F., died in infancy
Hattie C., born 16 May 1857
Stedman, born 11 Dec. 1862
George O., born 5 April 1867
O. S. WOODRUFF:
Orin was the eldest son of Benjamin Woodruff, a pioneer of Watertown, NY. Benjamin purchased the farm where he lived and died, in 1799. The father, with two brothers, Simon and Frederick, accompanied by their parents, moved into Watertown in the spring of 1800 and all located on adjoining lands which had been purchased the previous autumn. The settlement became "The Woodruff Settlement". In 1805, O. S. was born. He divided his time between farming and teaching. He purchased a farm in Pamelia and lived there for the rest of his life. In 1824 Orin S. enlisted in the Watertown Rifle Company, which was then commanded by Capt. Albert S. Massey, a company in which the father, Banjamin, served his time at Sacket's Harbor in 1813. Orin S. died on 10 Dec. 1872. In 1832 he married Julia Hale of Rutland, NY, who survived him. They had one child:
Frances J., wife of Reuben H. Fuller of Pamelia. Frances was born 30 Aug. 1843 on the family farm.
Fuller children: Orlin W., born Oct. 1865 and Willie L., born Sept. 1868.
JOHN L. PARRISH:
The Parrish family, of English lineage, had an ancestor who migrated to America before the Revolutionary War. In 1793, John Parrish, the grandfather of John L., was a Revolutionary War soldier who had settled in Washington Co., NY. John Parrish, the father of John L., was born in Columbia Co., NY in June 1777; he lived with his father, until he was 23 years of age. He married at that time to Ruth Farr, a native of Massachusetts where she was born in July 1783.
In the spring of 1803, John Parrish left his home in Fort Ann, Washington Co., for Jefferson Co. to locate on his purchase of 60 acres of big lot No. 4 in the town of Pamelia. He left Washington Co., with a wife and two children, the household goods and two yoke of oxen. They journeyed for fifteen days. In addition to being a very capable farmer, he was a greatly respected hunter. John died on the farm that he had settled. In December 1842, his wife died in her 59th year. She was the mother of ten children, two of whom died in infancy.
John L. Parrish was born 1 May 1819 and he spent his boyhood on his father's farm. In 1841 he married Eliza Ann, daughter of Ruel and Margaret Randall, who were among the early settlers of Rutland, where she was born on 19 Feb. 1819. John L. succeeded his father in ownership of the farm, which grew to 183 acres. John L. and Eliza were the parents of five children:
Oscar F., born 24 Oct. 1843, resident of Virginia City, NV
Warren R., born 19 July 1846, also of Virginia City
Diana B., wife of Scott W. Blodgett of Lyme; she was born 6 March 1848
Albert W., born 5 March 1850
George B., born 22 Jan. 1852 - he died 4 Sept. 1877
TRUMAN B. TOWNSEND:
Jonathan Townsend, father of Truman, was born in Columbia Co., NY in 1765. In 1803 with his brother, Josiah, he moved to Jefferson Co. and settled in the town of Champion. There he purchased a farm where he lived until 1812; he then sold the farm and moved to Boonville, Oneida Co., where he purchased a farm with some improvements already in place. He lived on that farm for four years and built a house and barn and established a large orchard. That farm was also sold and Jonathan spent the summer of 1816 in a land search. Disappointed, he returned to Jefferson County and bought a small farm in the town of LeRay. After his purchase, he was offered $200 for his bargain, an offer he accepted and then bought the farm later owned by his grandson, George K. Townsend. Jonathan had settled on six new farms and cleared 160 acres of land. He lived on the last farm until 1853 when he went to live with his son, Truman. He passed away in 1854;and his wife died in the 47 year of her age. In 1820 he was married to Mary Van Amber who died in 1833.
Truman was born in Champion in 1805. When he reached majority age, he bought 35 acres of land. On 2 January 1828 he married Sarah Allen, daughter of Elisha and Betsey (Edwards) Allen. His natural adaptation for the trade of carpentry and joiner was carried on in conjunction with his farming until about 1860. Sarah died on 20 Nov. 1873 in her 66th year. On 23 Sept. 1875, Truman married Mrs. Margaret Copeland of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Children of Truman and Sarah Townsend:
Priscilla K., born 12 Jan. 1831, married J. W. Smith
George K. born 28 Nov. 1832 who owned the old farm of his grandfather
Erastus E., born 17 Aug. 1834 and died 28 Feb. 1844
Florence A., born 6 April 1845 and wife of A. W. Weeks
Mary E., born 28 July 1848 married Fred Delong.
OLIVER CHILD:
Ancestors of Oliver Child emigrated from Wales to Pennsylvania as early as 1681 and settled in Bucks County where they farmed. Being members of the Friends, their children were raised under the discipline of honesty and simplicity characteristics of that people. Cephas, the paternal grandfather of Oliver, was born in Bucks County, where he lived all of his life, and reared a family of eight children. It was there that Cadwalader, Oliver's father, was born on 18 July 1776. He was educated in the schools and became a teacher at the age of 20, in 1800. Cadwalader married Elizabeth Rea of the same place and they moved to Jefferson Co. in 1804. The first occupation of Cadwalader in Jefferson County was that of surveyor for roads and boundary lines for landowner LeRay. After his arrival in Jefferson County, Cadwalader and a few others selected a large tract of land for settlement; it was divided into lots of 440 acres and the parcels were distributed by lot. Cadwalader drew lot No. 644. The purchase price was three dollars per acre. In 1806 he and his family moved onto the purchase and began clearing the lands. Cadwalader died on 3 April 1851 and he and his wife became the parents of six children:
Aaron born 16 January 1801; died 21 September 1885; wife Mary b. 28 May 1803; died 16 Sept. 1874Oliver, the third son, was born in Philadelphia on the old home farm where he continued to reside. By his first wife, Edith Shaw of Pennsylvania, he had three children:
Joseph A. died 10 Feb. 1863 at 78 years 17 days
Oliver died 28 Feb. 1878 at 71 years
Mary
Gaynor
Naylor.
Hamilton Child, a publisher in the city of Syracuse
Mary J.
Lewis J.
Edith died in 1842, and Oliver married second on 12 September 1844 to Eliza Shepherd of St. Lawrence County. They had no children.
LYMAN WILSON:
Among the older pioneer settlers of Jefferson County, were Lyman and Ruth Wilson. Suel Wilson, Lyman's father, was a Vermont native and emigrated to Jefferson County about 1805 and settled in LeRay. He and his wife, Chloe (Sheldon) Harris, raised a family of eleven children - eight sons and three daughters - of which Lyman was the eldest child. Raised as a farmer, Lyman received a good common school education and served as a teacher and farmer in later years and filled various public offices - supervisor, magistrate, commissioner, were offices in which he served.
At age 22, on 7 April 1824, he married Ruth Carey of LeRay, daughter of Levi Carey, who was one of the early settlers of that town. Ruth died on 10 July 1886 at 85 years, 8 months, 12 days. Lyman's father, Suel Wilson died on 16 Nov. 1827 at 48 years and his widow survived only a short time as she died on 19 Dec. 1827.
In the year after Lyman's marriage, he bought a farm in LeRay and sold it four years later, and bought a farm in the town of Philadelphia, which became a permanent home and where he continued to reside until his death on 24 Jan. 1877. Lyman and Ruth were the parents of eight children:
Emma M. b 1824
Warren b 1827; d 1901
Chloe A. b 1828
Lyman S. b 1832
LaEmnia b 1826
Henry M. b. 1834
Melville D. b 1836
Newell C. d 1848 at 5 yr, 1 m, 11 days
After Lyman died, Ruth went to live with their son, Warren, on the old homestead.
See Pioneer Wilson Family this site.
JOHN STRICKLAND SR. addendum: (Pioneer Family)
John married at the age of 25 to Margaret Stout, on 6 Feb. 1782; she was of German descent. She died in Philadelphia NY on 16 Oct. 1853. Their children were:
Elizabeth - married Thomas Townsend on 17 April 1800; resided and died Lowville, Lewis Co., NY
John Jr.-married Rachel Townsend on 9 April 1805; lived and died in Philadelphia, NY
Sarah-married Ezra Comly of Byberry, PA, where she lived and died
Deborah
Ann - married Edmund Tucker of Philadelphia, Jefferson Co., on 19 March 1819
Mahlon - married Mary Rogers of Philadelphia, NY on 4 Feb. 1819
Margaret - married Samuel Case in 1813
Rachel - married Samuel Rogers of Philadelphia NY on 5 Jan. 1824
Miles -married on 19 Oct. 1838 to Harriet A. Bronson of Watertown
Martha - married on 3 Sept. 1829 to Robert Gray of Sparta, WI where she died
Seth - married on 27 Jan. 1835 to Ann J. Bones of Philadelphia, NY
ERASTUS WHITNEY:
Mason Whitney was the father of Erastus, and was born in 1765. Mason married Dolly Rawson and they had five children; Dolly died in 1802 at 35 years and in 1806. Mason married Eunice Babcock and they had two children.
Erastus Whitney, the third child of the first marriage was born on 13 July 1797 in Herkimer Co., NY. In 1824 he was in Jefferson County and after a few years bought a piece of land in Theresa, which he sold within two years. His next labor was clearing land for Moses Chadwick in Philadelphia, NY and married Betsey Chadwick on 4 June 1826. Erastus bought a farm in Philadelphia which became a permanent home until his death on 16 October 1854 and Betsey died on 3 September 1872, bc 1805. The couple had eight children:
William Marcellus? b. 1827
Seymour M. b. 1829
Marion H. b 1831
Mason
Harriet M.
Ann E.
George E.
Duane L.
William M., the eldest son, owned an occupied the old home; he was born 18 March 1827. See Migrations A - C this site for Rawson family.
Biographical information was extracted from Durant & Peirce's 1878 History of Jefferson County, New York by Marilyn Sapienza! Sketches were supplemented with information gleaned from census records, cemetery records, and family histories.
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